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Far above and beyond

Meat and potatoes. They’re a culinary power couple, but Rachel Woods considers herself more of a “soup and salad person.” Still, the community health major learned something from the steady diet of meat and potatoes she had while studying abroad in Prague.

The way food is sourced, processed, and consumed is different in the Czech Republic, says Woods. “The culture is more health conscious than in the United States – and actually, most places in Europe are.”

Prague is where Woods learned to love nutrition and discovered her calling, but being able to study there wasn’t always part of her plans.

Woods has had to work hard to pay for college, she says, since her father’s death several years ago. Every summer she lines up three or four jobs. And during the school year, beginning as a freshman, she’s worked for KU Endowment.

That job included calling donors for the Far Above capital campaign. During her junior year, Woods received the Chris and Marilyn Anderson Scholarship – one of the 735 new student scholarships created by the campaign.

The scholarship meant that Woods didn’t have to worry about money for one summer. Career path still undecided, she took an internship at a Czech Republic nutrition clinic, a program offered through KU’s International Internship program within the Office of Study Abroad.

For two months, she shadowed a health coach, studied weight loss programs, and set up meal plans for European clientele after using a body scanner called “Tanita” to assess their nutritional needs. “It just clicked,” she says. “This is what I want to do with my life.”

Woods eventually sees herself working for a private health clinic or a hospital, consulting with patients with diabetes and other diet-sensitive conditions.

For now, she concentrates on completing her senior year, applying for graduate programs in dietetics, volunteering for a student health organization and the Meals on Wheels program, where she delivers — yes — a lot of meat and potatoes.

By the numbers

Since KU Endowment launched the Far Above capital campaign in 2008, student volunteers have made about 7 million phone calls to prospective donors. Rachel Woods doesn’t know what fraction of the 7 million calls were hers, but, she says, 200 phone calls a night for over two years can add up quickly.

When Woods thinks back to her first few weeks on the job, she remembers feeling nervous to pick up the phone and ask KU alumni for donations. Over time, however, she began to look forward to the exchanges.

“Even when someone couldn’t make a large donation,” says Woods, “I would tell them, ‘$10 can make a difference.’”

What, exactly, has Jayhawks’ love amounted to? $1.6 billion, making Far Above the most successful Endowment campaign in KU history.

In total, more than 151,00 contributions – from donors in all 50 states and 59 countries – were made in support of Far Above. Already, the campaign has transformed KU’s campus – funding 16 construction projects, 53 new professorships, and magnifying opportunities for countless Jayhawks.